October 4th, 1917 – Poelcapelle, Belgium
Poelcapelle, Belgium. Greaves won his VC in brutal, hellish conditions
Here is a first hand account of Cpl. Fred Greaves actions on October 4th, 1917. It makes for both inspiring and humbling reading.
“It was an exceedingly critical position we were in. Our force ran into one of the enemy blockhouses or ‘pill boxes’ and we were also caught between the fire of two groups of machine-gun posts. The officers and non-coms. went down with the exception of Greaves. The men suffered most severely, and, left without a leader, they were wavering.
Greaves saw what was required. Shouting to the men not to mind, he went forward with some bombs in his hand…They seemed to be running through bullets. Greaves got round the pill box, after dodging death from snipers many times…. He made his way inside and brought out four machine guns in succession. That saved the day for us.
The effect on our advance was felt all over the field of battle, and our troops were able to gain their objectives with comparatively trifling losses.
Later in the day the position was once again critical. The officers were knocked out, and the command fell to Greaves. He proved equal to the responsibility, which was greatly increased by the fact that a sudden enemy counter-attack swept away the infantry holding the adjoining lines. The Foresters were hard pressed, and were on the point of being forced back in their turn when Greaves saved the day once more….He went forward into the thick of it,… and generally making it clear to both our chaps and the enemy that there was a chap on the job who knew enough of the business to make it impossible for the enemy to get the best of us.
The enemy attacked in masses. Greaves went about among the men, encouraging them and spurring them on by his example of cheerfulness and courage. Again and again the enemy attacked. Each time they were flung back, in spite of overwhelming forces they had at their disposal. The example of Greaves and his band of Sherwoods was infectious. OUr men gradually recovered the ground given up, and the enemy was sent rolling back in disorder once more. That this result was achieved was due entirely to the brilliant leadership and courage of Greaves..
He is a fine comrade, ready to anything for his mates, and never thinking of himself at all. Before the acts that won him the Cross, Greaves had already come under the notice of his superiors for his coolness and dash under the most trying circumstances. On one occasion before he rushed a machine-gun post single-handed, and one another occasion he risked his life to bring a comrade out of action. How he kept going on the day he won the Cross I do not know. He was everywhere, and seemed to know just what to do at the proper time. The men soon gained confidence in his leadership, and would have been content to follow him anywhere he chose.”
Has there ever been a more fitting candidate to receive a posthumous Freedom of the Borough from the town of his birth than Fred Greaves?
Tags: Belgium, Fred Greaves VC, Poelcapelle, Victoria Cross
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November 8, 2010 at 6:56 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by stuart allen, Fred Greaves VC. Fred Greaves VC said: Blog post: http://j.mp/bmGN5Y A long forgotten account that's really inspiring. It's really valuable as it's from a soldier who was there. [...]